There are two distinct types of diabetes, but both relate to insulin, the hormone the body needs to absorb starch and sugar from food.

Type 1 diabetes, which used to be called juvenile diabetes, occurs when the pancreas fails to manufacture insulin.

No one knows exactly what causes Type 1 diabetes, but doctors believe it begins when the

body’s immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Scientists are researching the role genetics, viruses and environmental factors may play in triggering the disease.

Most people with Type 1 diabetes are diagnosed as children or teens; but some people develop the disease as adults.

People suffering from Type 1 diabetes must inject insulin throughout the day to control the blood sugar that follows normal eating.

Type 2 diabetes is far more common, accounting for more than 90 percent of all cases.

Formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, the condition occurs when the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, or the body fails to properly use the insulin.

Obesity is a major risk factor for Type 2 diabetes; a tendency toward the disease also can be passed down in families.

Some people with Type 2 diabetes can control the disease through oral medication, exercise, diet and weight loss; others need insulin injections.

According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 21 million people in the United States have diabetes, the nation’s leading cause of kidney failure, acquired blindness and nontraumatic limb amputation.